Tag Archives: Arizona Diamondbacks

Eighteen years ago the Major League Baseball team moves into new stadium digs, known as cutting edge for its retractable roof and acknowledged as an economic magnet for the businesses built on blocks surrounding the facility in downtown Phoenix.

Gowan was spotted sitting in the front at last night’s Diamondbacks Opening Day game. The speaker’s appearance (somebody had taken a photo of the game’s live coverage on TV) raised some eyebrows, since lawmakers aren’t allowed to accept tickets to sporting events from lobbyists, and front row tickets don’t come cheap.

A federal grand jury today charged Rep. Ben Arredondo with bribery, fraud, attempted extortion and false statements for allegedly taking thousands of dollars in game tickets and other perks in exchange for brokering property deals in Tempe.

It's been a year since the Fiesta Bowl scandal embarrassed legislators, but at least some Arizona lawmakers still like their perks.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have again offered free tickets to legislators for the baseball team's first game of the season, and a team executive said Tuesday that at least 40 of the 90 senators and representatives have accepted so far.

From the day that Arizona became a state on Feb. 14, 1912, its boundaries have remained unchanged, but if not for some political gamesmanship, today’s Grand Canyon State would have had a remarkably different portrait.